Alpinia malaccensis Health Dictionary

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Alpinia Malaccensis: From 1 Different Sources

Rosc.

Family: Zingiberaceae.

Habitat: Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, up to 1,500 m, and western Ghats of Kerala.

Folk: Saliyeridumpa (Tamil).

Action: Rhizome—employed to cure sores. Fruits—emetic (used with salt).

The rhizomes yield essential oil consisting of methyl cinnamate as chief constituent.
Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Alpinia Galanga

Willd.

Family: Zingiberaceae.

Habitat: The Himalayas and southern region of western Ghats.

English: Greater Galangal.

Ayurvedic: Kulanjana, Sthuula- granthi, Sugandhaa, Ugragandhaa, Malaya Vachaa, Mahaabhari- Vachaa. Substitute for Raasnaa (Pluchea lanceolata).

Unani: Khulanjaan.

Siddha/Tamil: Perarattai.

Action: Rhizome—carminative (in dyspepsia), stomachic, circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic, anti- inflammatory.

Throughout southern India, the rhizome of Alpinia galanga is used as Raasnaa for rheumatism, intermittent fever, dyspepsia and respiratory ailments. (In the north, Vanda tessellata or Pluchea lanceolata is used as Raas- naa.)

EtOH extract of the plant shows anti-inflammatory activity. The ethano- lic extract also showed significant anti- ulcer activity in rats, which has been attributed to the antisecretory and cy- toprotective properties of the plant.

Major constituents of the essential oil are methyl cinnamate, cineole and d-pinene. In moderate doses, the oil exhibits antispasmodic action.

Unani physicians use A. galanga as a sex tonic. In mice, the drug caused a significant gain in the weight of sexual organs and increased sperm motility and sperm count.

Plants used as Raasnaa in Indian medicine: Alpinia galanga Willd. (Zingiberaceae) in southern India; Pluchea lanceolata C. B. Clarke (Compositae; Asteraceae) in Uttar Pradesh; Van- da roxburghii R. Br. (Orchidaceae) in eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; Blepharispermum subsessile DC. (Compositae; Asteraceae) in Madhya Pradesh; and Dodonaea viscosa (Linn.) Jacq. (Sapindaceae)inAndhraPradesh.

Dosage: Rhizome—1-3 g powder. Decoction—50-100 ml. (CCRAS.)... alpinia galanga

Alpinia Officinarum

Hance

Family: Zingiberaceae.

Habitat: Native to China; cultivated in northern India.

English: Lesser Galangal, Alpinia, Catarrh Root, Chinese Ginger.

Ayurvedic: Kulanjan (var.). Unani: Khulanjaan (smaller var.). Siddha/Tamil: Chitrarattai.

Action: Rhizome—a circulatory stimulant and carminative.

Key application: As a carminative.

(The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)

Aqueous and methanolic extracts of the rhizome, on oral administration, exhibited significant decrease in gastric secretion in rabbits and showed anticholinergic effect in pylorus-ligated rats.

Flavones from rhizomes are strongly antifungal against a wide variety of pathogenic fungi, responsible for major skin diseases in eastern India. Flavones were also found to be active against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

The gingerols and diaryheptanoids constituents of the rhizome are potent inhibitors of PG synthetase (prosta- glandin biosynthesizing enzyme); they can also be active against 5-lipoxyge- nase, an enzyme involved in leuko- triene biosynthesis. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)... alpinia officinarum

Alpinia Speciosa

(Wendl.) K.Schum.

Synonym: A. Zerumbet Burtt and R.M. Smith

Family: Zingiberaceae.

Habitat: Native to East Indies. Occurs in the eastern Himalayas from West Bengal eastwards.

English: Light Galangal.

Siddha/Tamil: Chitraraththai.

Action: Rhizomes are used as a substitute for A. galanga and even for ginger; antiulcerative, spasmolytic.

The leaves and rhizomes yield an essential oil which contains alpha-and beta-pinene, borneol, campene and ci- neole as major constituents.... alpinia speciosa

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